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Sunday, 5 April 2015

DAB Radio Proposal Near Death in Swedish Consultation Round.

Plan for a transition from FM to DAB+ rejected by expertise and major authorities.

The proposal for a transition from FM to DAB+ 2016-2022 has been rejected by central public institutions and many experts in Sweden. Only some minor authorities are behind the proposal together with established DAB proponents. This confirms the unison negative opinion in media when the proposal was presented to the Government in December 2014. The negative and positive respondents are listed below.

After receiving an inquiry report by the National Audit Office on April 14 the Ministry of Culture will consider the next step; a proposal to the Parliament for a transition to DAB, to continue with more inquiries or to scrap the idea of replacing FM, which then will put an end to 20 years of efforts to introduce DAB radio in Sweden.

A common objection in the consultation is the proposal to close the FM radio which will be at a too high cost for society and consumers (more than one billion euro). The lack of any consumer demand for a replacement of FM is also targeted and that emergency system considerations have been ignored. Infrastructural repercussions are brought to notice as a demand for 100 % geographical coverage including uninhabited areas, maritime traffic and reach in tunnels. Visiting motor vehicle traffic from non DAB-countries (as neighboring Finland) has also been ignored in the proposal.

Several points to the fact that listening to radio on mobile and smart-phones on FM and on-line is widespread and will increase. The claim that future mobile broadband networks will not be able to carry radio have been widely rejected. If digitalization of terrestrial radio is to be considered other modern systems than DAB+ are proposed by the expertise as DVB-T2 (television network) and DRM+ in the FM band.

Most outright support for the proposal is presented by the group behind several years of lobbying for DAB; the broadcast provider Teracom AB, public broadcaster Sveriges Radio, commercial MTG and SBS Discovery. Also supported by some other DAB business interests. The minor authorities and organizations supporting the proposal are not known to have expertise regarding the technological or economical aspects of media and communication as in the DAB negative group.

Here is a listing of consultation letters to the Ministry of Culture

(Bold = government authority or public university)

Negative overall response or reservation on decisive issues:

KTH Royal Institute Of Technology

University of Gothenburg: Department of Journalism, Media and Communication

Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts (SADA)

Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS)

Swedish Armed Forces

Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, FMV

Swedish Better Regulation Council

Swedish Transport Administration

Swedish Transport Agency

Competition Authority

Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA)

Ericsson AB

Digital Radio Sweden

Internet Infrastructure Foundation .se

Swedish Network Users Society

Public Service Council

Society of Sound Engineering

Community Radio Association

Network Community Radio in Sweden

Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions: Green party Board reservation

Sveriges Television (rejecting the proposed plan)

BIL Sweden (motorcar organisation) (rejecting the proposed plan)

Positive response:

The Radio and TV Authority

Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency

Mittuniversitetet

Swedish Agency for Accessible Media

Swedish Agency for Participation

Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society

Three County Administrative Boards

Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions: Majority board decision.

Notable abstainees from the consultation round are the Swedish Consumer Agency KO, Swedish Trade Union Confederation LO, Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations SACO, Administrative Foundation of Public Service (formal owner of public service companies) and the Radio Academy.